Hi Musicman,
Ahha, they’re on fire. See, they’re in such pain that they are wailing and gnashing their teeth. See??. . .
I think you are right about that, but maybe not in the way that you were implying that it would be literal.
GNASH'ING, n. nash'ing. A grinding or striking of the teeth in rage or anguish.
I think you were speaking in jest, as to the way that the church teaches that people will be literally burning and screaming in hell fire, thus causing them to gnash their teeth.
But this "gnashing of teeth" will be because of the intense (spiritual) anguish of "the sons of the kingdom" cast into "outer darkness."
Mat 8:12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Here is from the article that Fester posted,
"only the "sons of the Kingdom" are weeping and gnashing their teeth-the Jews."This email further explains about those 'Jews' that will be gnashing their teeth had knowingly blasphemed against the Holy Spirit!
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2175.msg17491.html#msg17491 ----
When Jesus warned of this sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it was when He had cast out demons. The Scribes said that Jesus cast out devils by the prince of devils (Mark 3:22). The Pharisees also accused Him of this very same thing (Matt. 9:34). And we are told that Jesus gave that stern warning, "Because they said, He [Jesus] has an unclean spirit."
But this alone is not all there is to this sin. Even in the Old Testament, when one sinned "ignorantly," he was held to a lower standard than if he sinned "willfully, knowlingly." God's principles are always true. There was more to the sin of these Scribes and Pharisees than merely stating that Jesus had a devil and cast out devils by the prince of devil. The truth is THEY KNEW BETTER. They knew that they were lying in order to deceive the multitudes who were beginning to believe in and trust Jesus as a Man of God. They were SINNING AGAINST LIGHT. They were sinning against WHAT THEY KNEW WAS THE TRUTH. And how do we know this? We are frankly TOLD this in the Scriptures.
In John 3 we have a "Ruler of the Jews" by the name of Nicodemus, and this is what we are told by him: "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a RULER [this man KNEW what the Scribes and the Pharisees believed behind closed doors] of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, WE [Scribes, Pharisees, Rulers, Jews] KNOW that you are a Teacher COME FROM GOD; for no man can do these miracles [such as casting out demons] that You do, except GOD BE WITH HIM" (John 3:1-2).
It is when we KNOW the truth and blaspheme AGAINST THE TRUE LIGHT THAT WE KNOW, that we then "blaspheme against the Holy Spirit" which is the means by which light and truth is imparted.
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It was these Jewish Scribes, Pharisees, Rulers who committed a grevious sin with a grevious penalty that would cause them to "be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Mat 12:31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
v. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it
will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. mercy, peace and love
Kat